The Effect of Clearances on the Contact Interaction Force in the Parts of a Screw Conveyor Drive

Abstract:

Screw conveyors are widely used in various industries to move agricultural crops, construction materials, food and pharmaceutical products, metal shavings, etc. According to research, their share in loading and unloading operations in certain industries is up to 40%. Flexible screw conveyors (FSC) are widely used in agricultural production and construction, where there is a significant need to quickly change cargo handling routes and there is often difficult access to loading and unloading areas. During their operation, due to instability of material loading and ingress of foreign objects, overloads often occur, leading to significant deformations and breakdowns of the elements of these mechanisms, especially flexible screw working bodies. Overloads of a technological nature can be prevented by ensuring that the conveyed material fills the inter-twist space of the conveyor screw rationally and by improving the loading mechanisms (hoppers, feeders and nozzles). The occurrence of accidental overloads is difficult to predict and can be prevented by using protective mechanisms. Therefore, to ensure the reliable operation of FSC, it is necessary to use effective safety clutches in the design of their drives. Accordingly, the task of developing new designs of protection mechanisms for FSC, including safety clutches, and, accordingly, the theoretical substantiation of their design is relevant.

• Periodical: International Journal of Engineering Research in Africa (Volume 79)
• Pages: 143-153
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-nm9qQt
• Online since: June 2026
• Authors: Oleg Lyashuk*, Taras Dubyniak, Ivan Hevko, Ihor Tkachenko, Olena Dmytriv, Nadia Khomuk, Anatoliy Dovbush
• Keywords: Elastic Safety Clutch, Flexible Screw Conveyors, Joint Clearance, Shock and Dynamic Loads

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